Grain-tester and seed-separator.



.A. O. BNGBLSTAD. GRAIN TESTER AND SEED SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FIL-ED JUNE 21, 1913.

LUBWMG. Patented Feb..17,1914.'

WITNESSES INVENTOR flaw-p 6. [/m $2790,

ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH (IO-.WASHINGTON. D. C.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED C. ENGELSTAD, OF KATHRYN, NORTH DAKOTA.

GRAIN-TESTER AND SEED-SEPARATOR.

Application filed June 21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED C. ENGELSTAD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kathryn, in the county of Barnes and State of North Dakota have made a new and useful improvement in Grain-Testers and Seed-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements 1n devices for testing grains and separating seeds, and it consists in the combination, construction and arrangement herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a portable device by means of which seeds or grains may be separated, where these seeds or grains have practically the same speclfic gravity. Thus I may use this device for separating wild oats from cultivated oats.

Another object of my invention 1s to provide a device of the type described which 1s made in sections so that it can be readily taken apart to permit access to the seeds which are so separated.

A further object of my invention is to provide a portable device which is easily carried about and which may be manufactured at a low cost.

Uther objects and advantages will appear in the following application and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the device, and, Fig. 2 is a section along the hue 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention, I provide an upper receptacle A having near its bottom a perforated plate B. The receptacle A is provided with a downwardly extendmg flange a arranged to fit over the upper part of the section C. This section is provided with a funnel-shaped shelf or partition 0 having a central opening cm at its bottom. The funnel-shaped partition is provided on its upper side with a covering such as canton flannel, silence cloth or chamois skin 0y. The section C has a flange 02 which is arranged to fit over the upper part of another section D. The section D is provided with a cone-shaped partition (Z which is held by means of arms cZw to the sides of the section D, the major portion of the partition d being spaced from the walls D as shown 1n Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1?, 1914.

Serial No. 775,020.

the drawings. The upper surface of the cone d is provided with a covering of fabric 62; similar to fabric 0y in the section G. The section D is provided with a flange d2 which fits over the bottom section E. The bottom section is provided with a screen a as shown in the drawings.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood.

In separating grains such as wild oats and cultivated oats, a definite amount of the mixed grains is placed in the receptacle A and the device is agitated, the grains passing through the perforated plate B, while the trash is prevented from passing. The cultivated oats falling on the covering 0y pass over the covering, thence down through the opening 000, over the covering (Zg and into the bottom section E, the dirt or chaff passing through the screen 6. The wild oats are provided with beards which tend to cling to the surfaces 0g and cZy. Most of the wild oats will be found clinging to the canton flannel or other fabric which forms the covering 63 in the section C, but if any should pass through the opening are they will be found clinging to the covering cly. In this way any grains or seeds which are liable to attach themselves to the fibers of the coverings 0 y or (Z l may be separated from smooth grains or seeds. hen the operation is through, the upper section may be taken oil and the trash thrown out. The sections C and D may be taken off and the wild oats cleaned out or removed in any suitable way as by means of a brush, while the cultivated cats or those grains which are smooth and have no parts which are liable to catch on the covering my and d z will be found in the lower section. One can thus clearly and accu 'ately test the proportion of wild oats to cultivated, or the proportion of seeds which attach themselves to the coverings to the proportion of other seeds which do not.

It is obvious that this device may be made in varying sizes and various coverings for the portions C and D may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a device for separating grains, a receptacle provided with a funnel-shaped partition having a central opening in its bottom, said partition being provided with a fibrous covering adapted to engage project ing portions of certain of the seeds or grains, the bottom portion of said receptacle being arranged to retain the remaining seeds.

2. In a device for separating grains, a receptacle having a funnel-shaped partition provided with an opening at its center, a cone-shaped partition disposed below said funnel-shaped partition, portions of the outer edges of said coneshaped partition being spaced from the Walls of the receptacle, and a fibrous covering for the upper sides of both of said partitions.

3. In a device for separating grains, a receptacle composed of telescopic sections, said sections being removable, the uppermost of said sections being provided With a screen near its bottom, a second section be- 10W said upper section, said second section being provided with a funnel-shaped partition having an opening in its bottom, a third section disposed below said second section, and being provided with a cone-shaped partition. and a fourth section disposed below said third section and having a screen in its bottom, both of said partitions being provided with a fibrous covering adapted to engage and hold certain seeds and to permit the passage over the fibrous covering of certain other seeds.

ALFRED C. ENGELSTAD. Witnesses E. A. MicKn-LsnN, ()TTO H. FEMTE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

